SC refuses to interfere in Karnataka State anthem case

The Supreme Court has declined to interfere with a Karnataka High Court order upholding the state Government’s decision to prescribe a specific tune and duration for the rendition of Karnataka’s state anthem, ‘Jayabharata Jananiya Tanujate’.

A bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and R Mahadevan dismissed an appeal filed by singer Kikkeri Krishnamurthy challenging the high court’s refusal to quash the state Government’s September 25, 2022 order prescribing that the ‘Naada Geethe’ be sung for two-and-a-half minutes in the tune composed by Mysore Ananthaswamy.

The bench said uniformity was necessary in the rendition of the state anthem, both in terms of the raga and the duration of the song.

“We note that there has to be uniformity in the rendition of the state anthem both about the raga as well as about the duration of the song. In the circumstances, we do not find any reason to interfere with the impugned order,” the bench said while dismissing the plea. Senior advocate Mohan V Katarki appeared for Krishnamurthy.

In its January 5, 2026 judgment, the high court held that the state Government was competent to prescribe the raga for the anthem, particularly when it had been composed by an expert. It also rejected the contention that the Government’s directive infringed the petitioner’s rights.

The High Court had dismissed Krishnamurthy’s argument that the state could not prescribe the raga in which the anthem should be sung, terming the contention untenable.